1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the removal of separate elements from loading or collection areas therefor. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus or a device for removing separate elements from a collection area therefor. Even more particularly, the present invention provides an apparatus for removing separate elements from an automated system for the manufacture of such elements.
2. Prior Art
There has been developed heretofore devices for the removal of separate elements from collection areas therefor in automated systems for the manufacture of such elements. In particular such removal devices have been developed for deployment in automated systems for the manufacture of workpieces, such as, locking elements including nuts and the like.
With particular reference to the manufacture of nuts from nut blanks there has been disclosed in the prior art a fully automated system for such manufacture. Representative of such prior art are the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,727,255 and 3,015,832. This prior art teaches a system for tapping nut blanks wherein, at the completion of the operation, the finished blanks are dropped into a bin.
This is disadvantageous in that this results in complete disorientation of the finished products, thereby requiring a further sorting operation.
To alleviate this problem of sorting, modern day systems now provide for the placement of the finished blanks in suitable trays or similar collecting means therefor. Essentially, these modern day systems contemplate the lifting of the finished blanks into the trays. The trays, per se, are provided with a plurality of sockets each of which receives a finished blank therewithin by being lifted thereinto. It has been found, however, that oftentimes the lifting of the finished blank into the tray is accompanied by the misorientation of the finished nut. This misorientation necessitates the manual removal of a nut from the socket. This necessarily reduces the efficiency of the system while concommitantly increasing labor costs and the like.
The present invention, on the other hand, provides a device for unloading a plurality of separate elements which avoids the problems alluded to hereinbefore.